Custom Ford Transit

Frida

Built for two travelers, two dogs, and the long way around.

Platform: Ford Transit
Purpose: Dog-friendly travel
Build: Full custom conversion
Home base: Phoenix, Arizona

The Brief

Every inch had a job.

Demos and Ray did not need a generic camper. They needed a road-ready home that kept two dog crates genuinely usable without giving up the galley, refrigerator, bed, storage, or service access.

Crate door swings and clearances shaped the floor plan. A custom-size NovaKool refrigerator reshaped the passenger-side galley. The layout was refined until the crates could move through the rear of the van while the living space stayed open and natural.

After delivery, Frida headed into Manistee National Forest for her first shakedown trip—galley organized, L-track storage loaded, and the WeBoost connection keeping the travelers in touch from camp.

Frida's custom purple galley with black sink, refrigerator, storage and fold-out surface

Designed Around Real Life

Two crates. One custom galley. No wasted movement.

The galley balances daily convenience with the exact clearances the dogs required. A compact refrigerator, deep sink, microwave, fold-out surface, and illuminated storage fit into a working footprint without closing off the center aisle.

Dog-first layoutTwo-crate access designed into the rear sleeping and storage zone.
Purpose-built galleyCustom cabinetry shaped around the NovaKool refrigerator and crate clearance.
Flexible storageL-track, cargo nets, cabinets, and open utility space that can change with the trip.

Off-Grid Core

Comfort without the campsite hookup.

Frida combines power, heat, water, ventilation, and connectivity behind one simple control point.

Frida's Victron electrical and Rixen hydronic heating control screens

Victron energy system: Battery, charging, solar yield, and shore power monitoring in one display.
Rixen hydronic heat: Cabin heat and hot water managed from a dedicated touchscreen.
Solar + roof systems: Roof-mounted solar, ventilation, and air conditioning support longer stays away.
Water + outdoor utility: Onboard water, pumps, drains, and rear utility access are serviceable by design.
WeBoost connectivity: Cellular signal support helps keep remote work and communication possible.

On Film

From the first open doors to the finished walkthrough.

Two vertical shop clips show the transformation without polishing away the process.

Before the buildThe empty Transit and the first layout decisions.

Finished walkthroughBirch, purple, black, and every working detail in place.

Build Gallery

Shell, systems, and the finished space.

Frida’s clean interior is the visible layer. The structure and service access underneath are what make the van usable for the long haul.

Finished rear view through Frida showing the bed, aisle and purple utility cabinets — The rear layout keeps the center aisle clear beneath the full-width bed.

Purple galley cabinetry with black microwave, sink and countertop — Compact galley, full daily function.

Serviceable water pumps and valves behind a purple drop-down cabinet door — Service access stays reachable.

Frida during construction with insulated ceiling and unfinished birch wall panels — Insulation and interior structure taking shape.

Sound-deadening material and timber framing installed inside Frida — Sound control before the finish layer.

Steel bed frame installed during Frida's conversion — The bed structure anchors the rear plan.

Frida's roof-mounted solar panels, vent and air conditioning system — Solar, ventilation, and climate systems share a carefully planned roof.

Frida's removable mattress revealing the ventilated bed platform — A ventilated platform below the mattress.

Purple electrical enclosure with labeled fuse panel beneath Frida's bed — Labeled electrical access beneath the bed.

The Shakedown

Built in Phoenix. Proven in the forest.

Frida’s first trip put the plan into practice: two travelers, two dogs, a personalized galley, flexible L-track storage, reliable climate control, and enough connectivity to stay in touch from Manistee National Forest.

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